Premier League relegation battle: Do Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest or Leeds have the best run-in?

Tottenham are staring down the barrel of the unthinkable: relegation from the Premier League.

Demotion to the second tier for a Spurs side that won the Europa League last season, reached the Champions League knockout stage this term and has spent just one season outside the top flight since 1950 would go down as one of the biggest shocks in Premier League history. Roberto De Zerbi is now the man tasked with engineering an escape, and Joao Palhinha scored a priceless goal last week to ensure they overcame already-down Wolves for a crucial three points.

However, Callum Wilson snatched a 92nd-minute winner at the London Stadium to ensure West Ham beat Everton 2-1, keeping Tottenham in the bottom three for now. Defeat to Brentford has opened the door for Spurs, though, to climb clear of the drop zone with a win against Aston Villa.

Leeds have pulled clear, seemingly, after an impressive recent run, while Nottingham Forest scored a huge 5-0 win at Sunderland to bolster their hopes, though are not yet anywhere near assured of safety.

Wolves have long been destined for the drop and had their demotion confirmed last Monday. They have now been joined by Burnley after the Clarets fell to a 1-0 loss at home to Manchester City to confirm their return to the Championship.

With Wolves and Burnley both relegated, here’s how the rest of the crucial relegation run-in is shaping up.

Position: 15th | Played: 34 | Points: 43 | GD: -5

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? The fixtures fell fairly kindly for Leeds and after their seminal win over Manchester United – a first league victory at Old Trafford since 1981 – as well as a 3-0 home victory over Wolves and win over Burnley, it looks probable that they will secure Premier League football next season.

Tricky contests? Hosting European football-chasing Brighton in their penultimate fixture won’t be easy, particularly with trips to their relegation rivals either side of that game.

Final straight? Leeds look safe, but they will be desperate to have that secured by the time they travel to West Ham on the final day. If not, that could be a high-octane shootout for survival.

Position: 16th | Played: 34 | Points: 39 | GD: -4

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? Forest had to make the most of a home fixture against doomed Burnley and, inspired by a 15-minute Morgan Gibbs-White hat-trick, they seized that golden opportunity. They then followed that up with a statement 5-0 thrashing of a Sunderland side who are largely on the beach. That could be enough to get over the line. If not, a home game against a struggling Newcastle side who may have nothing to play for could be their best chance.

Tricky contests? Games against three sides chasing European places still await Forest with trips to Manchester United and Chelsea on the docket, plus a home finale against Bournemouth. Forest also have to negotiate the second leg of their Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa, which may prove a distraction.

Final straight? It’s not the best with a journey to Old Trafford on the penultimate day of the season far from ideal and then hosting Bournemouth on the final day also a tricky finish. A home match against a floundering Newcastle as their antepenultimate fixture could be worse though. Things could be complicated by their Europa League distraction, however.

Position: 17th | Played: 34 | Points: 36 | GD: -19

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? Their impressive form since hugely damaging back-to-back defeats to Wolves and Nottingham Forest at the start of the year have seen West Ham go from doomed to having a genuine chance of survival – even climbing out of the bottom three by thumping Wolves 4-0 straight after the international break. Another point at Crystal Palace may be seen as two lost rather than one gained considering the Eagles’ form, but they bounced back with the late win over Everton. Welcoming Leeds to the London Stadium on the final day looms incredibly large and could prove pivotal.

Tricky contests? A heavy defeat to Brentford may not have been totally deserved for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, yet is nonetheless ill-timed and highly-damaging. A trip across town to Arsenal is unwelcome, too.

Final straight? If West Ham can get through to mid-May with a realistic shot at survival then an away game against Newcastle and a home clash with Leeds to finish the season might just be the ticket to get them clear of the drop zone. The final-day showdown against Daniel Farke’s side could be an all-time classic but won’t be a pretty watch if both sides are still fighting for their lives. However, Leeds might already be safe by then and the fact that the Whites are coming to the London Stadium at least plays into Nuno and co’s hands.

Position: 18th | Played: 34 | Points: 34 | GD: -10

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? Having not won for 16 league matches, with their last Premier League triumph coming against Crystal Palace back in December, Tottenham have finally found three points at last. Their trip to Wolves was a must-win and they did just that. Now, a potentially pivotal clash with Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium three matches from the end of the campaign will also be a golden opportunity. But every fixture is tough currently.

Tricky contests? Sidestepping the obvious quip of ‘every single one’, given their recent form, away games at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and Chelsea in May don’t look too fruitful.

Final straight? Leeds at home as the third-last game is absolutely huge. Should that game go awry and Spurs head into the final two matches in the relegation zone, then a trip to Stamford Bridge and clash with Everton to finish up appear unlikely to provide succour.

This could genuinely go in any direction and you’d have to be a brave person to predict the outcome with any confidence.

It could still all come down to the final day when West Ham host Leeds, Spurs play Everton and Nottingham Forest host Bournemouth. Leeds generally have the kindest fixtures and should already have enough to survive given the points they have recently picked up.

Forest’s last two results have been massive, given that they could have been adversely affected by their Europa League run and probably need to have survival wrapped up going into the final couple of games.

Spurs are at the very least still in touching distance of safety, if they can build on victory at Wolves and string some season-saving results together. But every team is showing fight – and it could all change quickly.